Here is my brilliant and well thought out personal plan to defeat global terrorism, especially terrorism originating from the middle east. It’s certain to be effective. To summarize: More love, less arms.

Pray for the terrorists. This has 2 effects. The first is that it might do some good. Science has not proven any impact of prayer on health outcomes, so maybe it won’t do any good. It certainly can’t hurt. The second effect is on the person doing the praying. It’s psychologically difficult to hate and wish ill on someone you are praying for. Additionally, it forces you to see them as human beings. People, with families. Less hate is good for everyone.

Encourage and financially support all efforts to eliminate the use of oil. I can hardly wait to buy the Tesla Model 3. In the meantime, I will buy all my gas from Kwik Fill (United Refining), which comes from all North American crude sources. There is no doubt that oil and its associated money are the root cause of all of these problems, or at least our involvement in them. Edit: Country Fair stations (owned by Citgo) sell gas from Venezuela. This would be a second choice. They are in OPEC but at least not in the middle east.

Refuse to fear. I will resist all changes to our American way of life. Changes we see now include excessive and/or intrusive security measures that impinge on our privacy. Changes that are being widely discussed include more limitations on immigration (a foundation of American strength) and even possible curtailment of religious freedom. How is it that this small, remote army (40,000 according to the CIA) can cause a mainstream presidential candidate to call them an “existential threat”? Why are we in a national hysteria over issues that barely register here? We already know that the FBI is not able to detect internal terrorist plots, as evidenced in Boston and California. And yet, hate for non-Muslims is not very high on the list of reasons for mass shootings. We live in a free country. That means that from time to time, we will have these kinds of events. I am not afraid.

Support the troops. I do not mean by posting Facebook memes, wearing flags, and criticizing those who don’t appear to be “patriotic enough”. Pay your taxes, yeah, ALL of it. Contact your public servants and demand that the military be properly maintained. Active troops require proper training and equipment, and most importantly, thoughtful deployment. They are not to be used as political pawns. Veterans require prompt and effective medical care, including mental health.

Research, think, and learn, and encourage others to do the same. Think about what you see and hear regarding terrorism, and the motivations of those making the inflammatory statements. Follow the money. Think about possible perspectives of citizens of the countries where the terrorists originate.